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Cantey Hanger Selects nQueue Embedded Cost Recovery
The 75-lawyer law firm of Cantey Hanger, L.L.P. is a full-service law firm with four offices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Among Cantey Hanger's early clients were pioneer banks, utilities and transportation companies. Those areas still are strongly represented, along with energy service firms, manufacturers, telecommunications companies, insurance companies, hospital and health organizations, municipalities and other governmental entities.
As Cantey Hanger's Executive Director, it is my responsibility to enable the firm to compete on all levels. In the ever-changing world of technology, it is particularly important the firm remain competitive to ensure our clients are receiving the highest level of service. With this in mind, last year we implemented a replacement strategy of our copier fleet, including cost recovery products.
Selection Made Easy
Our priority in looking to replace our existing copier fleet consisting of Xerox DC490, DC480, DC470, and WPC65 models was to acquire true multi-functional devices (MFDs) that would enable our users to go beyond typical duplicating and integrate copying, printing, scanning, and document serving functionality in one device.
After an exhaustive search involving numerous manufacturers, including Canon and Xerox, our evaluation team, including our IT Director and members of our copy center staff, chose Ricoh and its line of Aficio models 2090, 2075, 2060, and 745. Beyond MFD functionality, we were very keen on finding a product that afforded us an open architecture so we could truly leverage the 'multi-function' capabilities of the new devices. Despite being a satisfied Equitrac cost recovery client for over 10 years, our team was particularly interested in rolling out MFDs with the capabilities of embedding complete cost recovery functionality without the need for a dedicated terminal. Embedding cost recovery would translate to an ultimate reduction in total cost of ownership ' no proprietary hardware, no technical installs, no equipment failures; only software.
As we progressed deeper into the selection process, we also discovered that Ricoh had recently signed on a new partner, an embedded cost recovery technology firm, to its Strategic and Technology Alliance Program. Phoenix-based nQueue, Inc. provides information accountability solutions offering a complete line of browser-based expense recovery, digital filing and production workflow systems designed to track, manage, report and charge back costs associated with office equipment and administrative services.
In the case of the java-enabled, embedded nQueue Ricoh solution, there was also the promise of providing full-featured cost capture and analysis of transactions, without a hardware solution. We quickly discovered that the new market entrant nQueue was eager to please and provide the firm with any and all necessary service and support. In fact, we were their first implementation of the embedded nQueue Ricoh solution. What was most impressive was nQueue's willingness to listen to our suggestions on how to enhance the system and they quickly modified the initial version of the embedded nQueue Ricoh solution. We were very surprised when nQueue's CEO arrived onsite to implement the new version and to personally make sure everything went off without a hitch.
Cantey Hanger's MFD Layout
Since our decision to implement the Ricoh nQueue solution in December of 2005, we have rolled out nine new Ricoh MFDs. Seven of the units are using the embedded nQueue product. Two of our high-speed models are not equipped with the latest open technology so we are using nQueue tablets, add-ons that interface directly with the nQueue Enterprise system. Within a week's time, installation was complete and our users started to realize immediate differences and advantages compared to our previous systems:
- Embedded is simple. Our IT and Operations staff has quickly gotten used to not having to deal with extra hardware and wiring;
- Tight integration. The new system now ties together and tracks all of our cost recovery expenses including digital prints, faxes, postage, scanning, and office supply costs ' all trackable through the nQueue system across Cantey Hanger's four locations; and
- Workflow and automation. Tracking of all expenses, which now occurs at the desktop level (prompting users with a client/matter screen), creates a workflow with less steps leading to quicker cost and time capture of various transactions.
Firm Benefits
Over the past 9 months, our firm has seen a shift in the way cost recovery is treated. It no longer functions as a 'necessary evil of client charge backs' but now can be utilized as an embedded, strategic tool of following the flow of office and administrative charges and transactions throughout the firm and between the firm and its clients. The following benefits stand out:
- Software functionality. Cantey Hanger now has access to software-based cost recovery functionality that we use to make our operation more efficient. For example, our system automatically routes and tracks print jobs to specific devices based on document volume and other printing requirements;
- Software economics. A software-centric system will always be more economical than buying hardware and paying equipment maintenance charges. Additionally, the nQueue system enables us to track print and faxes as part of the base system, something that our old Equitrac system did not do;
- Hardware and software stability. Because our prior cost recovery system was older technology, we were experiencing hardware and software related failures at the server level. nQueue's software-focused approach has provided a far more stable environment;
- Software integration. The Ricoh java-enabled open architecture platform enables truly seamless integration with other applications, be it the embedded nQueue software or our time and billing or document management system; and
- Lower total cost of ownership. With external proprietary boxes eliminated from seven of the nine new Ricoh MFDs, we saved money on the hardware, eliminated the proprietary wiring, and saved staff time on installs and trouble shooting all costs associated with the old cost recovery system.
While we only have about 9 months of experience on the new Ricoh nQueue embedded system, we are very much aligned with our initial strategic objective to replace our copier fleet with multi-functional equipment and also address the limited functionality and efficiency of our aging cost recovery system. In fact, our new solution has provided us with new ways of streamlining our operations and better tracking the flow of transactions throughout our office network.
Rick Cruz is Cantey Hanger's Executive Director, having spent the last 26 years with the firm. He is a CPA and active member of the Association of Legal Administrators.
The 75-lawyer law firm of
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Selection Made Easy
Our priority in looking to replace our existing copier fleet consisting of Xerox DC490, DC480, DC470, and WPC65 models was to acquire true multi-functional devices (MFDs) that would enable our users to go beyond typical duplicating and integrate copying, printing, scanning, and document serving functionality in one device.
After an exhaustive search involving numerous manufacturers, including Canon and Xerox, our evaluation team, including our IT Director and members of our copy center staff, chose Ricoh and its line of Aficio models 2090, 2075, 2060, and 745. Beyond MFD functionality, we were very keen on finding a product that afforded us an open architecture so we could truly leverage the 'multi-function' capabilities of the new devices. Despite being a satisfied Equitrac cost recovery client for over 10 years, our team was particularly interested in rolling out MFDs with the capabilities of embedding complete cost recovery functionality without the need for a dedicated terminal. Embedding cost recovery would translate to an ultimate reduction in total cost of ownership ' no proprietary hardware, no technical installs, no equipment failures; only software.
As we progressed deeper into the selection process, we also discovered that Ricoh had recently signed on a new partner, an embedded cost recovery technology firm, to its Strategic and Technology Alliance Program. Phoenix-based nQueue, Inc. provides information accountability solutions offering a complete line of browser-based expense recovery, digital filing and production workflow systems designed to track, manage, report and charge back costs associated with office equipment and administrative services.
In the case of the java-enabled, embedded nQueue Ricoh solution, there was also the promise of providing full-featured cost capture and analysis of transactions, without a hardware solution. We quickly discovered that the new market entrant nQueue was eager to please and provide the firm with any and all necessary service and support. In fact, we were their first implementation of the embedded nQueue Ricoh solution. What was most impressive was nQueue's willingness to listen to our suggestions on how to enhance the system and they quickly modified the initial version of the embedded nQueue Ricoh solution. We were very surprised when nQueue's CEO arrived onsite to implement the new version and to personally make sure everything went off without a hitch.
Since our decision to implement the Ricoh nQueue solution in December of 2005, we have rolled out nine new Ricoh MFDs. Seven of the units are using the embedded nQueue product. Two of our high-speed models are not equipped with the latest open technology so we are using nQueue tablets, add-ons that interface directly with the nQueue Enterprise system. Within a week's time, installation was complete and our users started to realize immediate differences and advantages compared to our previous systems:
- Embedded is simple. Our IT and Operations staff has quickly gotten used to not having to deal with extra hardware and wiring;
- Tight integration. The new system now ties together and tracks all of our cost recovery expenses including digital prints, faxes, postage, scanning, and office supply costs ' all trackable through the nQueue system across
- Workflow and automation. Tracking of all expenses, which now occurs at the desktop level (prompting users with a client/matter screen), creates a workflow with less steps leading to quicker cost and time capture of various transactions.
Firm Benefits
Over the past 9 months, our firm has seen a shift in the way cost recovery is treated. It no longer functions as a 'necessary evil of client charge backs' but now can be utilized as an embedded, strategic tool of following the flow of office and administrative charges and transactions throughout the firm and between the firm and its clients. The following benefits stand out:
- Software functionality.
- Software economics. A software-centric system will always be more economical than buying hardware and paying equipment maintenance charges. Additionally, the nQueue system enables us to track print and faxes as part of the base system, something that our old Equitrac system did not do;
- Hardware and software stability. Because our prior cost recovery system was older technology, we were experiencing hardware and software related failures at the server level. nQueue's software-focused approach has provided a far more stable environment;
- Software integration. The Ricoh java-enabled open architecture platform enables truly seamless integration with other applications, be it the embedded nQueue software or our time and billing or document management system; and
- Lower total cost of ownership. With external proprietary boxes eliminated from seven of the nine new Ricoh MFDs, we saved money on the hardware, eliminated the proprietary wiring, and saved staff time on installs and trouble shooting all costs associated with the old cost recovery system.
While we only have about 9 months of experience on the new Ricoh nQueue embedded system, we are very much aligned with our initial strategic objective to replace our copier fleet with multi-functional equipment and also address the limited functionality and efficiency of our aging cost recovery system. In fact, our new solution has provided us with new ways of streamlining our operations and better tracking the flow of transactions throughout our office network.
Rick Cruz is
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